MATCHES TODAY: CSK VS LSG AT 3:30 PM | RCB VS MI AT 7:30 PM
Raipur, May 9: Royal Challengers Bengaluru will want their batting group to rebuild its muscle to snap a two-match losing streak, and put their IPL campaign back on track when they face Mumbai Indians here on Sunday.
The Royal Challengers were off to an early season flier, winning four out of their first matches and the playoffs entry appeared a mere formality.
But now the situation has changed. The title holders have lost three of their last five matches to slip into a little mid-tournament crisis.
RCB, who is currently third on the table with 12 points from 10 matches, are still in a prime position to enter the knockout stage.
But the Bengaluru outfit will certainly be aware that they have lost a bit of steam towards the business end of the tournament.The RCB are tied with Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans on 12 points, and either RR or GT will go ahead them after their Saturday’s match at Jaipur, pushing the Bengalurueans down to fourth.
That points table scenario in itself is slightly worrying, but apart from that external factor, the RCB will need the batting group regaining its range.On a tad tacky Ahmedabad pitch against the Titans , the RCB batters failed to go beyond 155 and even the 9-run DLS margin defeat against Lucknow Super Giants was not as close as the margin suggests.
The RCB required 19 runs in the final over to cross the line, but could not come close to that.Now, RCB batter are up against an even more potent, at least on paper, Mumbai attack that consists of Jasprit Bumrah, Corbin Bosch, AM Ghazanfar and Will Jacks.The Raipur, the designated home venue of RCB, pitch is a bit of an unknown commodity and the champions will need their batters at their very best on the weekend. (PTI)
